Monster

What I know going in:
Charlize Theron plays Aileen Wuornos (yes, I actually know the character's name), a prostitute turned serial killer. Christina Ricci plays her friend/accomplice, maybe convinces Theron to start the killings. Eventually Theron is arrested and sent to prison (I've seen pictures of Charlize Theron in prison orange). Charlize Theron gained weight and wore prosthetics for her performance.

Why I'm watching:
1) Most recent Best Actress (or other acting award) I haven't seen. After this I jump back to 1995 with Dead Man Walking!

Monster (2003)

Nom: Actress (Charlize Theron)

Win: Actress

Transformation. Charlize Theron in this movie is such a huge shift from anything I've ever seen her do before. Wow! Not just the physical transformation, as pictured above, but her whole persona and mannerisms and voice. She is totally lost in the character, and it's amazing to watch. The character herself, though pitiable and understandable, is a pretty horrible person. Quick to anger, self-destructive, little respect for anyone but herself. The exception being Selby (Christina Ricci) of course. Going in, I thought there might be some latent homosensuality between the two lead actresses - boy was I wrong. The beginning of their relationship was so touching as two outcasts are brought together and seem like they can help each other deal with the circumstances of their lives. Which makes the trajectory of their relationship so much more tragic as they get to know each other more, and Wuornos' violent tendencies take over. 

As terrible a human being I find Wuornos, I feel I must say that I don't judge her too harshly for all her choices. She started off in a bad way, and when she tried to change her ways, she received no help. She honestly wasn't helping herself by telling everyone to fuck off constantly, but the degree of condescension was disgusting. And the cop who picks her up on the street after the big interview is disgusting. Her first kill is completely justified, but after that her justifications for killing and robbing "johns" become more and more forced.

She is clearly intelligent though, which makes it all sadder to me. Exemplified by when she figures out that Selby's phone call is being monitored and proceeds to exonerate Selby by confessing. Heartbreaking. 

Surprise appearance: Bruce Dern (of recent Nebraska fame). I definitely would have had no idea who he was before this past year. Most understanding and sweet man in the movie. If only he had been able to influence her more, maybe the killings may not have happened.

'da fuh'?: The massive shift that overtakes the 'john' she kills first when she hesitates to blow him for an extra $10. He knocks her unconscious and bloody, ties her up, and (here's the craziest part) covers his car seat in plastic. Why did he even have that in the car? Was that his plan all along?

"Please put out her grace's hair"

What I know going in:

I've actually seen most of this movie before, but I don't remember much. I remember that it takes place in the late 1700s and that Keira Knightley's character has an affair that causes a bunch of problems.

Why I'm watching:

Most recent film to win an award (Costume Design) that I haven't seen.

The Duchess (2008)

Noms: Art Direction and Costume Design

Win: Costume Design

It's a good damn thing that the costumes were fantastic - it's a huge aspect of the main character (Georgiana/Keira Knightley)  that she has amazing clothes and sense of style. She's a designer herself. Some of the outfits when she appropriates aspects of men's clothing are especially awesome. The clothes show her strength of character and that she challenges the traditional gender roles of Georgian England. The conversation where she explains why women's clothes are more complicated that men's is one of the best parts of the entire movie. On a different note, it's too bad for this film that hair-styling wasn't added to the make-up category until a few years ago. With the over the top wigs, they might have scored a third nomination.

Completely forgot that this has the American Revolution as a historical backdrop. It's not a huge deal, but it's interesting to see what was happening on the other side of the pond during the Revolution. I wish the political climate were more present throughout, unsurprisingly for me, but I concede that is not the point of the piece. 

Instead, her absolutely awful marriage is. UGH! Ralph Fiennes is so despicable in this. He plays the least sympathetic or likable character that I've ever seen him play. And this is the man who plays Voldemort in Harry Potter and the villain in Schindler's List. To me, this is still worse. He has no redeeming qualities or even scenes that make me understand where he's coming from. He marries a woman and immediately treats her like shit and has multiple affairs. Then she has the chutzpah to challenge him, and he makes her life even worse. "I don't make deals. Why would I? I'm in charge of it all." Oh yeah, he also forces her to raise on of his bastard children as her own. What a complete asshole. There are plenty of terrible people peppered throughout Georgiana's life. Her best friend fucks her husband. Her mom is a monster. Etc.

My roommate joined me for the last 20 minutes, and made the rest even more entertaining. He was a little over-tired and started commenting on the situations of the film as if he were on Jerry Springer. Needless to say: hysterical. Also oddly apt. 

In a lot of ways, I was reminded of another Keira Knightley movie while watching this: Anna Karenina. Costume drama about a society woman in a loveless marriage who has a dalliance with a young, exciting man of lower birth. Bad shit happens. I found Georgiana to be much more relatable, though whether that's the character or the circumstance, I don't know. Anna Karenina was more interesting in it's presentation though.

Surprise appearance: Georgiana's lover is played by the young romantic lead in Mamma Mia! (among other things). Even more surprising was the actress who plays Georgiana's twisted mother was on the last season of "Dexter" as a completely different, if equally demented, mother (Dr. Vogel).

Julia

What I know going in:
Julia, played by Vanessa Redgrave, is not the main character (Jane Fonda), but a friend to the main character that she visits in Europe.
Not contemporary to the 70s, maybe turn of the century (?).
Meryl Streep's first film role!
Jason Robards won for Supporting Actor. He plays a famous author, thought I can't remember who.

Why I'm watching:
1) 11 nominations!

2) Instant Watch on Netflix!

Julia (1977)

Noms: Picture, Director (Fred Zinneman), Actress (Jane Fonda), Supporting Actor (Jason Robards), Supporting Actor (Maxmillian Schell), Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave), Editing, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Costume, Score

Wins: Supporting Actor (Robards), Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay

Once you get used to the Inception-style flashback structure (flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks), this movie is really enjoyable. It's almost like they smashed two completely genres into one film, and it works! There's the classic Oscar-baity drama about a woman reflecting on her life, then there's also the spy movie aspect. But the spy movie is focused not on a bad-ass kicking butt and taking names, but instead on a semi-bumbling intellectual who has stumbled into being in a super dangerous position. I found that aspect of the movie fascinating. It made me think about what I might do in a similar situation; whereas typical spy movies are so heightened, there is no way for me to see myself being in that story.

Jane Fonda was beautiful here, not only physically, in her ability to capture a character, who often does things that are very unlikable, yet Fonda is able to make her relatable and watchable. Watching someone having writer's block could have been super frustrating, but the flashbacks made it much more interesting. There were quite a few moments where I was like "what the fuck is wrong with you?" like when she almost left her hat on the train. It had been well established at that point that she just needed to do as she was told and she would be fine. She was told two things and she almost fucked up both! GAH! Yet I still liked her, as frustrating as she was. Also, the entire conversation about her sable coat is so annoying because it just screams of privilege, which is in stark contrast to the way that Julia is seen to live.

The supporting cast was wonderful too. I love Vanessa Redgrave in general, so I was super excited to see her here. She lit up the screen whenever she was there, and when she left I found myself waiting until her next seen with great anticipation. Beautiful. Jason Robards is not a face I am too familiar with, but I figured out pretty soon that he must be playing Dashiell Hammett. Beautifully understated, yet acerbic and funny. I also really enjoyed seeing Maximillian Schell since I've heard so much about him, but hadn't yet seen one of his performances. Meryl Streep. The foundation for a storied career starts with a minor role playing a society snob.

Costuming stood out a lot to me. Jane Fonda's wardrobe is fucking gorgeous, especially in the numerous red ensembles she wears - specifically the red dress seen a couple times, including a dream sequence, and the grey suit with the red blouse underneath. The costumer really did a great job of mixing strength with softness, a great mirror for the complexities of her character. Also, that hat: practical and fabulous.

"da fuh?": Other than the occasional, "the fuck is wrong with you"s directed at Lily, there weren't any moments that caught me totally off guard or struck me as wholly bizarre. But when I read about the film after watching, I was reminded of the controversy that Vanessa Redgrave's acceptance speech sparked. In her acceptance, she made reference to the conflict between Palestinians and Zionists in the Holy Land. Considering what's going on in that part of the world as we speak, I found the timing of my watching to be a little bit serendipitous.

Surprise appearance: Hal Holbrook (he's one of those actors that you've probably seen, but don't know his name). Is it me, or is his character wicked untrustworthy?

"No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him."

I was originally going to watch Doctor Zhivago while donating this week, but then I saw that it was 3.5 hours and decided to peruse the clinics movie selection instead. I stumbled upon Collateral and went with it.

What I knew going in:
Tom Cruise with grey hair and Jamie Foxx drives a taxi. Action movie......Nominated for supporting actor and editing.....I had the impression it would be gritty....I think that's pretty much it

Why I watched it:
When looking at the available movies, the only options I saw that fit my normal criteria (Oscar nominated and about two hours long) were Collateral and Savages. I was definitely more in the mood for a thriller than a family drama, so here we are.

Collateral (2004)

Noms: Supporting actor (Jamie Foxx) and Film Editing

For an action movie/thriller that takes place largely in a taxi cab, there was a distinct lack or car chases in this movie, and I am super grateful for that. Thriller is definitely a better genre than action movie to describe this. There is a relatively small amount of action moments peppered throughout a morally ambiguous suspenseful thriller. One of my favorite Tom Cruise roles to date: badass mercenary mixed with a sociopath, but has moments of clarity that really question the morality of Max (Jamie Foxx) - and the audience. The conversations about the "correct-ness" of the killing that occurs are some of the most interesting moments of the film. I also love how he relates to Max as a friend: telling Max to call the girl, or the interactions with Max's mother, or when he forces Max to stand up for himself when his boss is taking advantage of him (pictured above). Also, he looks pretty badass as a silver fox. Jamie Foxx did a great job playing a slightly dorky guy (pretty against type) that is forced to engulf himself is the seedy underbelly of LA and get his hands dirty. The journey from the establishing montage of his fastidiousness to the climactic chase scene is huge - and definitely makes the Oscar nod understandable, though I don't see how he is considered a supporting actor when he is clearly the star. Whatever.

I love movies like this where I have little to no expectations going in, and then it turns out to be pretty awesome. It was a super fun movie that skillfully told a complicated story of a hitman and the cops investigating the murders and the FBI that get involved and the innocent bystander that gets drawn in (hence the title). Watching the different pieces interact and collide was engaging and handled in a way so as not to make it confusing. Editing FTW. I especially loved the fake-out when you are led to believe that Bruce McGill is Felix, the druglord, and then *surprise* he's actually the FBI agent in charger of the investigation. At least I got faked-out, maybe that was clear to everyone else. I loved the writing also. Sharp and funny in a lot of moments. It was great to have some laughs to break up some of the intensity.

Surprise appearances: Within the first scene, Jason Statham has a cameo - actually pretty surprised when his character didn't come back, until I realized that this was made before he was well known, right? 

Another actor who is much better know now: Mark Ruffalo! I loved seeing him in this playing a cop. Totally different role from what I've seen him do, and I think this movie probably helped launch his career.

I also didn't know Jada Pinkett-Smith was in this either. I didn't actually recognize her at first, because I honestly haven't seen her in much. Oops. Her scene with Max at the beginning was so charming! Also impressive: running through the metro in those heels - damn!

Javier Bardem! I also spotted Coop from Private Practice as one of the FBI agents.

This movie had a lot or surprises for me obviously - it became one of the big pleasures about it actually. It was so much more interesting that a thriller was full of (now) well-known actors instead of a bunch of unknowns. Not that unknowns aren't compelling to watch, but it can be an indicator that this is not going to be just another action movie, but will be more interesting and have more developed characters.

"da fuh": The moment when the stop the taxi while two coyotes cross the street....that was random.

All the "da fuh?"s

What I know going in:
1) Miyazaki film: first one I've seen, but I know that they have beautiful animation and are more adult geared than most (Disney) animated movies
2) It's gonna be full of weird shit

Why I'm watching it:
1) I've never seen a Miyazaki film
2) Only winner of Best Animated Feature I haven't seen
3) My roommates wanted to watch it too

Spirited Away (2002)
Nom: Animated Feature
Win: Animated Feature

This movie is so weird. I just have to say it. I usually have a "da fuh" moment to include in my posts, but there is no way to pick just one for this movie. I said it out loud pretty early in the film, but I was thinking it throughout.

That said. It's also a beautiful movie. Very ethereal and mysterious; at first I wanted more explanation, then I realized that was totally unnecessary, you just have to accept the oddness and the rules of this world. "How the fuck does Chihiro know that the wolf-dragon is Haku?" "Is the witch actually the baby's mother?" Answers: ____ Maybe something is lost in the translation from Japan to USA, not just in language, but in culture and common knowledge. For all I know, this movie is full of Japanese tropes I've never heard of.

Normally when watching a foreign language film, I watch it with subtitles, but I'm glad I watched this movie with the English dub. First, I was able to fully appreciate the visuals without having to constantly read the bottom of the screen. Second, the voice actors.

I had no idea how many of the voice actors would be familiar to me. Chihiro is the same girl who voiced Lilo for example. I saw David Ogden Stiers in the opening credits and got excited, because I know how great he is: if you haven't heard the name, you've definitely heard the voice, because he is the voice of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (as well as the opening narrator - on Broadway too!) as well as the Archdeacon in Hunchback of Notre Dame. I didn't think I would recognize his voice, because he transforms his voice for roles, and I was right. If I hadn't looked it up on IMDB, I would have never guessed that he voiced the boiler man with all the creepy arms -though the soot balls were adorable! Another voice actor I was excited to see in the credits was Tara Strong - she's done a lot of voices on Nickelodeon like Rugrats and Fairly Oddparents. Her voice was much more recognizable as the giant baby. My roommate recognized another voice: Partway through, he realized that one of the bathhouse attendants was voiced by the same actor as Squidward on Spongebob. Voice actors almost never get much credit for the amazing things they do, and I love what they do and am so impressed by their ability to create such distinct characters with nothing but their voice. Especially impressive to me in a dub, because they have to fit the translated line into the space that the original voice actor used.

Definitely looking forward to some more Miyazaki works after this one. I know that both The Wind Rises and Howl's Moving Castle were nominated, so those will be the next one probably.

Surprise appearance: Other than the above listed voice actors who I recognized from the opening credits, there was another very familiar voice that I missed at the beginning. As soon as Lin opened her mouth, I was like "It's Susan Egan!" You might know her as the voice of Meg in Disney's Hercules or the original Belle in the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast. I love her voice, it has so much personality!

Caught up! - Next up: I have Doctor Zhivago at home, but we'll see when I'm the mood for that one.

Starring: Naked Geoffrey Rush!

What I know going in:
1) Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for his performance
2) He plays a professional pianist struggling with mental illness and an over bearing father.
3) The disc jacket informs me that Rachmaninoff is also a struggle

Why I'm watching:
1) Geoffrey Rush
2) High on the list of Best Picture noms from the 90s I have yet to see
3) As good a movie as any to watch while donating blood

Shine (1996)
Noms: Best Picture, Director (Scott Hicks), Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actor (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Score
Win: Actor

Seriously, there are a lot of scenes where Geoffrey Rush, or his younger self, is wearing nothing or next to nothing. My favorite one of these was the sight gag when teenage David gets his mail and the his neighbor looks at him funny, then we see that he is only wearing a sweater and is naked from the waist down.

Biopics can be really hit or miss with me. This one definitely hits. It's such an interesting story about a person I know nothing about. It's infused with so much classical music, but is written and directed in such a way that even a non-musician can understand the struggles of performing different pieces as well as why David is a great pianist, i.e. passion. Considering how much of the movie is scored by the music being played by David and other pianist, I was kinda surprised that the Academy recognized it for original score, there must have been enough new material for it to count.

Speaking of the piano playing, one of the most amazing parts of the movie to me was that Geoffrey Rush was actually playing the piano himself! The two younger versions had hand doubles to play the piano, which is why you don't see the keys and their face in the same shot. But not Geoffrey Rush. He is such a badass that he is playing the piano while giving an amazing performance. And it's not like he's playing "Heart and Soul." He's playing legitimately hard pieces, or at least show-offy like "Flight of the Bumble Bee." Don't believe me, check the credits. The hand doubles for the other actors are listed, then for Mr. Rush the hand double is Geoffrey fucking Rush. That clearly was the most impressive part of the performance to me, but the rest was solid too.

Oh yeah, Armin Mueller-Stahl plays a very nuanced, yet mostly unlikable father. Both emotionally and physically abusive, plus never knowing whether he's going to be loving or aggressive, it's no wonder David suffered. He even brings himself to the brink of collapse when he performs Rachmaninoff before he is ready.

Did I cry?: A little. Adult David (Rush) is walking with his father and he hops through the hopscotch on the pavement, just like he did as a child. I got a bit choked up at that point, though not to many tears. That might be because I was at the blood clinic and self-conscious...though I am not that shy about showing my appreciation for the movies I'm watching. Shock. Laughter. Etc.

Surprise appearance: Lynn Redgrave is always a pleasant surprise. Also, throughout the movie I was trying to figure out why teenage David looked so damn familiar. It took most of the movie, but eventually I realized that he plays Mr. Bucket in the Tim Burton Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (confirmed by IMDB). That cast keeps popping up in the movies I'm watching!

Playing catch-up again....another post should follow soon.

Blue Punch Buggy!

What I knew going in:
I knew a lot about this one going in. Alien experiment 626 escapes clutches of international government and lands in Hawaii, befriends girl by pretending to be a dog, Jumba, Pleakley, Gantu, Nani, etc. "Ohana means family." "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride."
Oddly enough, I've seen quite a few episodes of the TV show, but never watched the movie - go figure.

Why I'm watching:
1) It's on instant watch
2) Someone compared the Finnish chant in the opening of Frozen to the Hawaiian peppered throughout Lilo & Stitch and I said I'd never seen it. I received quite a bit of flack for that, so I'm fixing that deficit.

Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Nom: Animated Feature

How have I never watched this? It's SO good! So much heart and humor. Lilo is bizarre and wonderful; I love her eccentricities, especially because it allows her to bond with another misfit. The family structure of a sister as care-giver is not something you see very often and Nani is really doing her best in impossible circumstances. I love her character - I was rooting for her and David fullforce throughout the movie.

I love that the main conflict in the movie is actually surrounding Child Protective Services. The aliens complicate matters, but the real drama comes from CPS's decision about whether Nani will be able to keep Lilo. Jumba, Pleakley, and Gantu are kind of bumbling and constantly thwarted, there's really no doubt that Stitch and Lilo will outsmart them, but the arrival of the bigwig from the Galactic Federation (or whatever it's called) forces the issue. A hint of deux ex machina in the outcome, which is totally fine by me.

I've never been to Hawaii, but I really want to visit now. Even though the tourism culture is made fun of to great effect, the aspects of the real culture of the island make it very appealing to me. I obviously can't say how true it is, but my impression is that the movie does a pretty good job. I like it a lot, especially all the Hawaiian influenced music and lyrics.

I'm so glad I finally watched this. Really enjoyable, but also it's great that I now understand all the quotes and references I have heard over the years, like the title of the post. I had heard "Hawaiian Roller Coaster" ride many times before and really enjoy the song, but for some reason I never made the connection that the lyrics referred to surfing, not an actual roller coaster. Oops.

Did I cry?: Yep. Twice. Once when Stitch reads himself The Ugly Duckling and again at the ending. Stitch's growth as a character is really beautiful, what can I say?

Da Fuh moment: Not really any. Though the other little girls made me so angry, I was like "why do have to be so mean? The Fuck is wrong with them?"

Anne of the Thousand Days

Trying out a new approach to this thing. I'm writing some segments before I actually watch. Now you'll be able to see how little I know about some of these movies before seeing them, makes my tenses easier to work with in the "why I'm watching" portion, and hopefully will keep me honest. Let's see how it goes!

Why I'm watching:
1) Best Picture nom from the 60s I haven't seen with the most noms
2) I love media set in Tudor England (I debated a while on what word to use there. "Movies" wouldn't have covered books or TV shows, so I needed something more general. "Stuff" or "shit" seemed too colloquial. "Culture" too pretentious. "Media" seemed specific and detached enough)

What I know going in:
The 1969 movie is based on the play of the same name. It's about Anne Boleyn in some capacity; I'm gonna guess the titular 1000 days refers to how long she was queen. Cromwell is a character...at least he is in the play - my dad played the part in high school! For history buffs, this is Oliver Cromwell's ancestor.
I'm expecting great period costuming and art direction. I know that I'll recognize the lead actor when I see him - can't remember who plays him (Richard Burton?). I assume the lead male is Henry VIII.

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Noms: Picture, Actor (Richard Burton), Actress (Genevieve Bujold), Supporting Actor (Anthony Quayle), Adapted Screenplay, Score, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Costume Design, Art Direction
Win: Costume Design

So I remembered right, it is Richard Burton (go me!). And the above picture caught such an amazing expression, I had to pick it. That's not Anne Boleyn, but Catherine of Aragon by the way - who is fierce and has become one of my favorite historical characters. Irene Papas, who plays her here is awesome, but I first fell in love with the character on The Tudors where she is portrayed by Maria Doyle Kennedy.

I really enjoyed this one. The acting is great. The costume and production design is beautiful and lush; I especially loved the various blue gowns Anne Boleyn wore -wow! But the standout for me is the script. The way the characters speak is so wonderful: accessible, yet elevated. I learned after watching that, like the play, some of the film is in blank verse. How cool is that? And appropriate for the setting! Also, the most complete account of the Anne Boleyn story I've seen thus far. I'd seen most of the elements before, but not all in one package. Anne prior engagement to Percy (Amaranthine - a play by a fabulously talented friend). Henry's affair with Mary Boleyn (The Other Boleyn Girl). The Tudors had a lot of the rest, but I don't recall those two major elements.

I've already gushed over Richard Burton before, so seeing this just reinforced my perception of him. Genevieve Bujold, on the other hand, is a new discovery. She is fierce. She really shows off all the facet of the Anne Boleyn character that have made her such a fixture in our collection imagination. Bold, cunning, smart, girlish, proud, alluring, stubborn, mysterious, etc. Her shifts in the way she carries herself throughout the movie are impressive and awesome to watch.

Next up: Either Shine or Spirited Away probably....